Youth against hunger: service,activism and the mobilisation of young humanitarians in 1960s Britain

Abstract

Youth have been a malleable resource in the fight against hunger, variously conceived as volunteers, political activists, global citizens and financial donors. This article uncovers competing (and sometimes complementary) visions for the participation of British youth in Youth Against Hunger, part of the United Nations Freedom from Hunger Campaign. In doing so, it makes two key contributions to the field. First, by uncovering the professionals and commentators who sought to involve adolescents in humanitarian activity, it accounts for the agency of a more diverse range of non-state participants and experts than are usually included in histories of humanitarianism. Second, in highlighting the pragmatic difficulties in aligning humanitarian and youth-work contexts, it illustrates how domestic concerns about British youth actively shaped the development of the humanitarian sector in this period.     

1931年大水灾与国民政府应对灾害的资金筹募对策

1931年江淮大水席卷江淮流域8省2市,直接冲击了南京国民政府的经济和赋税重心。正忙于"统一"和建设的南京国民政府,此时不得不组建救济水灾委员会这一事权极大的中央专门救灾机构,以财政部部长宋子文为委员长,以经济中心上海为总部驻地。该机构的重要职能之一即为筹募赈款。通过筹募机制的探索,形成了国库拨款、赈灾公债、美麦借款、加征税收、摊派捐款和社会募捐等多种赈款筹集方式。透过这些方式,可以窥见国民政府在国家与社会、中央与地方两个向度上的努力进程及其特点。